Massive Global Effort Targets Fraud Networks

Colin McDonald, Assistant Attorney General for National Fraud Enforcement, highlights the remarkable scale of the federal government’s initiative against fraud. He states that the task force has performed over 450 significant law enforcement actions in just 52 days, including search warrants and arrests. McDonald stresses the importance of state collaboration and whistleblowers in delivering justice to those exploiting the elderly and vulnerable.

An expansive anti-scam operation, spearheaded by Meta and supported by major entities such as the FBI, Department of Justice, Microsoft, Coinbase, and Starlink, has led to 63 arrests, substantial seizures of frozen cryptocurrency, and the elimination of more than one million scam-related accounts. This initiative marks Meta’s largest anti-scam effort, bringing together significant tech companies, financial platforms, and law enforcement to combat fraud globally.

The operation, starting on May 18, was conducted by the DOJ’s Scam Center Strike Force under U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Ferris Pirro. The global effort included key players like the FBI, Royal Thai Police, Microsoft, Coinbase, Starlink, and various international law enforcement bodies from countries including the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

According to Meta, their approach focused on dismantling scam networks that collectively rob Americans of billions through romance scams and fraudulent cryptocurrency investments. Authorities believe many of these operations run from forced-labor compounds in Southeast Asia, linked to organized crime.

“Protecting people around the world from scams is one of our highest priorities,” said Chris Sonderby, Meta’s vice president and deputy general counsel.

Sonderby highlighted the strength of collaborations in battling scammers and expressed satisfaction in teaming with industry leaders and international law enforcement to attack the roots of these Asia-based scam networks.

As part of the comprehensive operation, Meta removed about 1.4 million scam accounts from its platforms. The Royal Thai Police detained 63 individuals involved in scam activities. Microsoft neutralized around 20,000 scam-related accounts and Starlink shut down thousands of connected internet terminals. Coinbase also froze over $3 million in cryptocurrency linked to these criminal networks.

Officials also uncovered many new scam compounds and networks, which have been forwarded to law enforcement for further examination. This initiative represents the third collaboration between Meta and the DOJ Scam Center Strike Force since December 2025, showing a clear escalation in the scale of operations. Meta reports that over the course of these joint efforts, they have eliminated more than 1.6 million scam assets, contributing significantly to the 84 arrests made by the Royal Thai Police.